Mechanism for raising and lowering the frame in automatic fabric printing machines



Jan. 10, 1961 I. s. VIDAL 2,967,476 MECHANISM FOR RAISING AND LOWEIRING THE FRAME IN AUTOMATIC FABRIC PRINTING MACHINES Filed July 1 1957 INVENTOR.

'J 'UAL United States Patent e jgfi 2,967,476

MECHANISM FOR RAISING AND LOWERING THE FRAME IN AUTOMATIC FABRIC PRINTING MACHINES Ignacio Sagnier Vidal, Calle Raset 35 Torre, Barcelona, Spain Filed July 1, 1957, Ser. No. 669,217

Claims priority, application Spain Feb. 11, 1957 7 Claims. (Cl. 101126) The present invention relates to a mechanism for use in the automatic fabric printing machines, and the purpose thereof is to control in an automatic fashion, in accordance with the working stages of the latter, the raising and lowering of the printing frame.

It is a well known fact that these machines, wherein the so-called a la lyonnaise is carried into practice, use frames perforated in accordance with the pattern to be printed, which frames should be raised after every printing operation and while the slide carrying them travels to reach the fabric contiguous area to be printed. On the other hand this raising, and the following lowering, should be sufliciently rapid in order that an actual production with satisfactory yields could be obtained.

However, as it follows, this is not easy because of the complexity which the necessary mechanisms leads to, and all of this has carried to the study constituting the subject matter of the invention.

This mechanism is essentially featured because it is constituted by a set of toothed gears rotatably mounted at the apex of the printing frame supporting slide, which gears are alternatively driven in the suitable direction by a common sprocket in turn operated from a mechanical energy accumulator mechanism.

These gears, on their part have fastened thereto respective bushings screwed on spindles fast to the printing slide, these bushings acting, in turn, as a support for the frame.

On the other hand the mechanical energy accumulator mechanism is constituted by a rod of suitable length secured by the one end thereof to the common transmission sprocket for the gears, a sliding cylinder, two dead stops suitably spaced apart in said cylinder, and two antagonical springs disposed between the said stops and cylinder, being mounted on the said rod, the said stops acting jointly on respective catches arranged in a corresponding position and fast to levers carrying snap ratchets subject to the action of the said cylinder, the latter being driven in a reciprocating motion by a connecting-rod-and-crank device operated by an electric motor at the rate of one revolution per printing cycle.

Furthermore, the section of the rod wherein the said cylinder slides, has a diameter substantially greater than the remainder of the same element, and rings confining the end of the spring and giving it a pretension being interposed between the ends of the springs and said greater diameter section.

This mechanical energy accumulating arrangement dispenses with the use of a more powerful electric motor and provides rapid motions to the sprocket driving the said gears, which greatly facilitate the raising and lowering of the printing frame in the conditions required for a rapid and effective work.

For the better understanding of what is exposed, a drawing is attached wherein a practical embodiment of a mechanism with the indicated features is shown schematically and only by way of example.

In this drawing, Figure l is a plan view of the mechanism; Figure 2 corresponds to an elevational, partially in section view; and Figures 3 and 4 are longitudinal sec tions at a larger scale, of the mechanism which accumulates the mechanical energy, in several working stages. In accordance with the invention the mechanism is essentially comprised of a set of toothed sprocket wheels 1 rotatably mounted at the apex of the slide 2 supporting the printing frame 3, which sprocket wheels are alternatively driven in the suitable direction by a common sprocket chain 4.

The said sprocket wheels have fastened thereto respective bushings 5 screwed on spindles 6 fast to the slide 2, the said frame 3 resting and being fastened to the said bushings by means of a pivot 7 protruding from the latter.

On the other hand the reciprocating drive of the sprocket chain 4 is performed through a mechanical energy accumulating mechanism constituted by a rod 8 (Figs. 3 and 4) of suitable length and connected by means of the terminal arm 9 to the sprocket chain 4, the rod being formed with a central section 10 having a greater diameter upon which a cylinder 11 is slidably mounted and operated with a reciprocating motion through the forked connecting-rod 12 from the flywheel 13, the latter being operated from a suitable electric motor through the convenient step-down gears at the rate of one turn per printing cycle.

Two stop engaging members 14 and 15 are placed on the same rod 8 and suitably spaced apart from the said central, greater diameter section 10, and the springs 16 and 17 are arranged between said members and cylinder so that the later acts upon the springs through the rings or washers 18 and 19.

The levers 20 and 21 co-operate with the said cylinder 11 and members 1 l-15, and carry respective stop catches 22 and 23 resting on the stop engaging members 14-15 and just as many terminal releases 24 and 25 upon which the ends of the cylinder 11 act as it will appear thereafter.

The said rods 2(l21 are subjected in their turn to the action of springs 2627 tending to maintain the same always in the working position, or for holding the respective members 1415.

The operation of the described mechanism clearly appears from what is described and, generaly speaking is as follows: Upon switching on the electric motor which operates the flywheel 13, the forked connecting-rod 12 pushes the cylinder causing it to slide on the section 10 of the rod 3, for example in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3, with which the said cylinder 11, through the washer or ring 18 compresses the spring 16 against the member 14 which is being held by the catch 22 of lever 20 owing to the action which the spring 26 effects on the latter.

Following the motion of the flywheel 13, the cylinder 11 continues its forward movement thereby compressing the spring 16 until the said cylinder acts with the end thereof on the release 24, at which time it forces the lever 20 to pivot releasing the member 14 from the stop catch 22. When the member 14 is released the potential energy accumulated by the spring 16 is set in action and causes the sudden drawing of the rod in the same direction indicated by the arrow and the subsequent drive of the sprocket chain 4 in the same direction.

The sprocket chain, in turn, transfers the motion to the gears 1 which, upon revolving, cause screwing of the bushings 5 on the spindles 6 with the corresponding raising of the frame 3 which rests thereon.

When the spring 16 comes to the limit of its expansion it causes the opposite member 15 to snap onto the stop catch 23 (owing to the special shape of the catch as it may be seen in Figs. 3 and 4) and the member is held Patented Jan. 10, 1961.

against the latter during the return stroke of the cylinder 11 which continues being driven by the forked connecting rod 12 at the pace of the rotation of flywheel 13.

Following an analogous procedure as in the above case, the spring,17 is now compressed until the'corresponding cylinder end actingstop catch 25 of the lever 21 thereby releasing member 15 from stop catch 23 and the rod, under the action of the said spring 17, is forced to suddenly snap in the contrary direction, thereby causing the inverse drive of the sprocket chain and corresponding lowering of the frame 3 when the bushings 5 screw on the spindles 6.

From the above description, it will become apparent that elements 1, 4, 5, 6 constitute moving means for raising and lowering printing frame 3, that member 11 of the power accumulating mechanism is movable from the neutral position illustrated in Fig. 3 to two end positions, one of which is illustrated in Fig. 4, in which the power accumulating mechanism is in accumulated state, and that member 11 releases stop means 22 so that the power accumulating mechanism can move to a released state while actuating the moving means through members 8 and 9.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a screen printing machine, in combination, a screen printing frame; a support for said frame; vertically arranged rotatable screw means on said support for raising and lowering said screen printing frame; wheels for rotating said screw means in the one or the other direction; driving means for driving said wheels; a mechanical power accumulating mechanism associated with said driving means and adapted when released in accumulated state for the rapid actuation of said driving means in the one or the other direction; means for moving said mechanical power accumulating mechanism from non-accumulating into power accumulating state; stop means holding said mechanism while said power is accumulating; release means for releasing said mechanism automatically when said power has been accumulated for rapid actuation of said driving means alternately in the one or the other direction whereby said screen printing frame is rapidly raised and lowered.

2. In a screen printing machine, in combination, a substantially horizontally arranged printing frame; a support for said printing frame; vertically arranged rotatable screw means on said support; corresponding vertically arranged rotatable screw means on said printing frame adapted to engage said screw means on said support and adapted to raise and lower said printing frame during rotation in one and the opposite direction respectively; sprocket wheels arranged on said rotatable screw means on said printing frame; a driving chain engaging said sprocket wheels for driving the same in either one or the opposite direction; spring means engaging said chain, and adapted to accumulate when compressed, potential energy for rapidly driving said chain; operating means adapted to alternately compress said spring means in the one and the opposite direction; stop means holding said spring means for compression in the one and the opposite direction; release means associated with said stop means actuated by said operating means for alternately releasing said spring means when fully compressed in the one and the opposite direction; whereby said spring means is compressed and released first in the one direction rapidly raising said printing frame and then compressed and released in the other direction thereby rapidly lowering said printing frame.

3. In a screen printing machine, in combination, a substantially horizontally arranged printing frame; a support for said printing frame; vertically arranged rotatable screw means on said support; corresponding arranged ver tically rotatable screw means on said printing frame adapted to engage saidscrew means on said support and adapted to raise and lower said printing frame during rotation in one and the opposite direction respectively; wheels arranged on said rotatable screw means on said printing frame; driving means engaging said wheels for driving the same in either one or the opposite direction; spring means engaging said driving means, and adapted to accumulate when compressed, potential energy for rapidly driving said driving means; operating means adapted to alternately compress said spring means in the one andthe opposite direction; stop means holding said spring means for compression in the one and the opposite direction; release means associated with said stop means actuated by said operating means for alternately releasing said spring means when fully compressed in the one and the opposite direction; whereby said spring means is compressed and released first in the one direction rapidly raising said printing frame and then compressed and released in the other direction thereby rapidly lowering said printing frame.

4. In a screen printing machine, in combination, a substantially horizontally arranged printing frame; a support for said printing frame; vertically arranged rotatable screw means on said support adapted to raise and lower said printing frame during rotation in one and the opposite direction respectively; wheels arranged on said rotatable screw means on said printing frame; driving means engaging said wheels for driving the same in either one or the opposite direction; spring means engaging said driving means, and adapted to accumulate when compressed, potential energy for rapidly driving said chain; operating means, adapted to alternately compress said spring means in the one and the opposite direction; stop and release means associated with said spring means actuated by said operating means for alternately releasing said spring means when fully compressed in the one and the opposite direction; whereby said spring means is compressed and released first in the one direction rapidly raising said printing frame and then compressed and released in the other direction thereby rapidly lowering said printing frame.

5. In a screen printing machine, in combination, a substantially horizontally arranged printing frame; a support for said printing frame; vertically arranged rotatable screw means on said support; corresponding vertically arranged rotatable screw means on said printing frame adapted to engage said screw means on said support and adapted to raise and lower said printing frame during rotation in one and the opposite direction respectively; sprocket wheels arranged on said rotatable screw means on said printing frame; an endless driving chain engaging said sprocket Wheels for driving the same in either one or the opposite direction; two springs each engaging said chain, each accumulating when compressed a potential energy for rapidly driving said chain in the one or the opposite direction; operating means, adapted to alternately compress one and then the other of said springs; two rocking stops, each holding when in a rocked holding position one of said springs for compression; a release associated with each of said stops and adapted to rock said stop out of said rocked holding position actuated by said operating means when each one of said springs is fully compressed, whereby each of said springs is alternately compressed and released thereby rapidly raising and lowering said printing frame.

6. In a printing machine, in combination, a printing frame; moving means including an endless chain and a plurality of chain sprockets for raising and lowering said printing frame; a power accumulating mechanism operatively connected to said chain of said moving means and including a member movable between an intermediate neutral position and two end positions for placing said power accumulating mechanism in a state in which power is accumulated; actuating means for moving said member of said power accumulating mechanism alternately from said neutral position to said end positions; stop means for holding said mechanism during movement of said member from said normal position to said end positions while the power is accumulating; and means controlled by said member for releasing said stop means in said end positions of said member so that said mechanism rapidly moves from a power accumulated state to a released state and actuates said moving means whereby said printing frame is alternately rapidly raised and rapidly lowered.

7. In a printing machine, in combination, a printing frame including non-turnable threaded means; moving means including an endless chain and a plurality of chain sprockets for raising and lowering said printing frame including turnable threaded means cooperating with said threaded means and being driven by said chain sprockets; a spring-loaded power accumulating mechanism operatively connected to said chain of said moving means and including a member movable between an intermediate neutral position and two end positions for placing said power accumulating mechanism in a state in which power is accumulated; actuating means for moving said member of said power accumulating mechanism alternately from said neutral position to said end positions; stop means for holding said mechanism during movement of said member from said normal position to said end positions while the power is accumulating; and means controlled by said member for releasing said stop means in said end positions of said member so that said mechanism rapidly moves from a power accumulated state to a released state and actuates said moving means whereby said printing frame is alternately rapidly raised and rapidly lowered.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,028,324 Broughton June 4, 1912 1,073,340 Furman Sept. 16, 1913 1,642,607 Fordyce Sept. 13, 1927 2,205,516 Busse June 25, 1940 2,265,584 Stiegler Dec. 9, 1941 2,339,423 Pollard Jan. 18, 1944 2.601.220 Richardson et a1 June 17, 1952 

